The Startup Sessions with Michael Knouse

My guest this week has an insatiable curiosity about human nature, a playful sense of humor, a deeply compassionate spirit and an intense commitment to developing amazing leaders in the world. With over 20 years of experience and training, this thought leader seeks to change the face of personal development, education, and business.

Dr. Scott Mills, Ph.D., is committed to bringing together the best technologies, ideas and processes from around the world to create quick and easy change in the lives of the people he works with. He is the creator of The Gateway of Evolution Program and is the author of two books – Evolutionary Business Planning and Awake Parenting.

Have you ever wondered why you keep repeating the same old patterns in your business, and you can’t seem to change them, no matter how hard you try? Scott provides compelling examples of how experiences in our childhood influence the way we behave in our business and personal life.

Listen in as Scott opens a window into the human brain, or what he describes as our own personal “Starship Enterprise.” He provides us with a quick snapshot of the “user’s manual” and helps us understand how to leverage our brain’s potential to grow our business.

Here are some of Scott’s favorite things:

My guest this week is a marketing powerhouse – she is a financial services marketer, social media speaker and financial industry influencer. Sheri Fitts is the founder of  ShoeFitts Marketing and works with retirement plan advisors, third-party administrators and financial services organizations to help them leverage marketing tools and social media to build meaningful connections.

Sheri’s entrepreneurial drive began when she was four, selling her very own homemade rose-petal perfume in baby food jars, door-to-door. After 25 years as a graphic designer and marketing expert in the financial industry, Sheri decided it was time for a change – sparking that entrepreneurial spirit in her once again.

If your entrepreneurial spirit is strong but you’re struggling to propel your business forward, this episode will provide insight and show you that managing your numbers is key to growing your business.

Listen in as Sheri describes her journey of bootstrapping a business from nothing to almost $1M in less than three years!

Here are some of Sheri’s favorite things:

My guest this week is an exceptional coach, author, prosperity creator and an admitted quantum physics geek. Laura Leigh Clarke is the Founder of ProsperityQM and she’s helped hundreds of entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level.

It wasn’t long ago that Laura was a Theoretical Physicist, fascinated with studying the unseen world of quantum mechanics. Laura has translated those skills to helping people understand what lies at the intersection of science, spirituality and business… and it’s more powerful than most people can even imagine!

If you’re frustrated and you can’t figure out why all your hard work hasn’t brought the results you’d hoped… Laura can help you off that treadmill of struggle and help you see what might be holding you back.

I’m very excited to bring you this enlightening conversation with Laura Leigh Clarke.

Here are some of Laura’s favorite things:

My guest this week isn’t going to apologize for who she is and how she runs her business. She believes that it’s completely possible to be loving, wonderful and compassionate and still be unapologetic about who you are and what you do.

Natalie Willes is known as the “Sleep Training Guru” and she’s the founder of a boutique services company called The Baby Sleep Trainer. Natalie says, “It was only natural to turn my passion into my business. As a sleep consultant, I’ve worked with families all over the world for the past four years, helping many babies get the sleep they need, both during the day and at night.”

If you’re struggling with your business or wondering if it’s even possible to strike out on your own, this is a conversation you’re going to love. Natalie will tell you how she built a business with nothing more than an idea of how she could solve her own problem and then help other people do the same.

I am thrilled to bring you this insightful and inspiring conversation with Natalie Willes.

Here are some of Natalie’s favorite things:

Jeffrey Slayter will challenge many of your long held assumptions about work, mainstream culture and what’s considered “normal” in your life.

Jeffrey is an International Best-Selling author of Imagine (Start a Revolution in Your Life and Business), and has come to unite alternate philosophies with business principles to deliver systems that can help individuals serve humanity with mastery. Jeffrey has worked with over 3 million people in 12 countries worldwide, and personally consults Fortune 500 companies.

In his spare time, you might find him enthusiastically delving into philosophies, meditation, and leadership practices; as well as surfing, collaborating with elders from indigenous cultures, building his business portfolio, and staying at the cutting edge of the most powerful information available for a sovereign humanity today.

Listen in as we dive into an unconventional conversation that will challenge what you’ve always believed to be true.

I am so excited to feature this highly impactful discussion with Jeffrey Slayter.

Here are some of Jeffrey’s favorite things:

Today’s guest is a mentor, speaker, serial entrepreneur and founder of many different businesses. I’m very excited to have Thubten joining me on the show today. He’s currently leading the charge at Startup Chronicle, a unique project that helps startup founders tell their story and connect with their community.

Thubten focuses on three primary areas of expertise: social marketing, startups, and conscious leadership. He is also an ordained monk and blends his personal experience with meditation and mindfulness to teach conscious leadership principles in the startup community.

For Thubten, being in conversation with entrepreneurs is what makes him feel alive. He has a deep knowledge of the startup cycle as well as understanding how to map client needs to business ideas. Thubten is also highly accomplished when it comes to bootstrapping new projects and facilitating the ideation and creation process.

Enjoy this episode where you’ll gain new awareness and insights about launching a business idea and staying connected to the true purpose of why we’re entrepreneurs in the first place.

Here are some of Thubten’s favorite things:

Racheal Cook is a green smoothie enthusiast, restorative yoga advocate, and award winning business strategist who believes entrepreneurs can grow their dream business while living their dream life, right now.

After experiencing debilitating anxiety and burnout in her former life in the traditional corporate world, Racheal walked away from a lucrative consulting career and onto a yoga mat. Months later, she married her passion for yoga and business acumen by launching The Yogipreneur, a boutique consultancy teaching the yoga of business and mindful marketing.

Since launching The Yogipreneur in 2008, Racheal has built a multiple six-figure business inspiring over 10,000 healing and helping entrepreneurs around the world to create profitable, sustainable businesses they can be proud of… all while navigating the beautiful journey of mamahood with three kidlets under the age of 5.

These days, Racheal is sharing more of her insights on business and lifestyle design at RachealCook.com.

I am so excited to feature this incredible discussion with Racheal Cook.

Here are some of Racheal’s favorite things:

I think that if we’re really honest with ourselves, we would all like to create work that feels like play.

My guest this week is Kyra Bussanich, Founder of Kyra’s Bake Shop, a gluten-free bakery in the Portland area that specializes in creating the best tasting cupcakes, cakes, cinnamon rolls and other goodies.

In my discussion with Kyra, you’ll hear about how she came up with the most natural business idea in the world by solving a big problem for herself and then experimenting with the idea by showing up to social gatherings and special events with her gluten-free creations.

It wasn’t long before people were raving about the amazing things that Kyra was cooking up in her kitchen. Not only were her baked goods gluten-free, they actually tasted better than the regular baked items.

Today you’ll learn about experimenting with your business idea before leaving your day job, using your unique value to create a compelling story for your business, and how to create a business model that serves you and your customers.

I absolutely loved this discussion and I know you will too. Kyra is an incredible example of someone that kept getting out of her comfort zone and the result is a business that allows her to do the thing she can’t not do.

Here are some of Kyra’s favorite things:

In today’s show we’re going in a little different direction. One of the important topics that’s not really talked about is how to balance romance and business. Many relationships suffer when we start piling on additional responsibilities like kids, work and starting a business.

This episode features the co hosts of the #1 rated marriage podcast, Tony and Alisa DiLorenzo of ONE Extraordinary Marriage, and we’re going to dive right into their story about coming back from the brink of divorce, surviving the loss of a child and then learning to bring the intimacy and connection back into their marriage.

You’ll hearing about Tony’s idea to have sex for 60 days straight and how this became the catalyst for the work that Tony and Alisa do today.

I had so much fun talking with Tony and Alisa and I came away feeling really energized about our conversation and how it can benefit anyone that’s in a relationship.

I know you’ll enjoy listening to Tony and Alisa’s story as well as their rock solid advice for making a great relationship the foundation for an incredible life.

Here are some of Tony and Alisa’s favorite things:

Too many brilliant and talented entrepreneurs are struggling just to get by. In fact, many of them are so focused the day-to-day operations of their business that they never get a shot at really thriving because they never get past survival mode.

Today I’m trying something a little different on the show.

This episode is very unique because I’m essentially hosting a live case study discussion between marketing strategy and branding expert, Dave Barcos, who is helping his client Lou Radja to step back, evaluate his speaking and coaching business, and take it to the next level.

In this conversation with Dave and Lou, you’ll begin to understand why some of the best entrepreneurs, the ones who really care about what they’re doing, struggle with getting their business to the point where they can make a bigger difference and create a real name for themselves.

I start this conversation by asking Lou Radja about his background and why he sought out the help of Dave Barcos in the first place.

What ensues is a lively discussion between Lou, Dave and I about Lou’s business struggles and how Dave has stepped up to help Lou understand his biggest strengths and implement a new strategy for engaging with his customers.

Here are the questions that I asked Lou along with his replies, including input from Dave and key insights gained from each topic.

Lou was building his business from a position of survival and being focused on the next gig so planning was out of the question. This is the way that most businesses are born. Someone starts something and then all of a sudden there’s this little business that’s up and running.

After Lou landed his first client, the sole focus became getting his business off the ground and finding the next client. Creating a strategy for growth never really entered the picture. As a result, Lou was stuck in the mode of putting out fires and reacting to whatever seemed most important.

Lou remained in this position for nearly three years before realizing that he needed some help. At that point, he reached out to Dave Barcos to help him take a step back and put the ‘Why’ before the ‘How’.

Key lesson: It’s never too early to start putting the ‘Why’ before the ‘How’. It’s so critical to understand who you’re serving, why you’re serving them, and the unique value you have to offer. Don’t get so distracted by the day-to-day business activities that you forget about planning a sustainable strategy for client communication and growth.

The first thing Lou had to come to terms with was realizing that he was the product. As a speaker and trainer, Lou began to understand that people were buying the messenger before the message.

Lou had to answer the tough questions like:

Lou had to slow down and take a couple of steps back so that he could gain some clarity about his message and how he wanted to present himself to the world.

Key lesson: Embrace your story and define your message. It’s imperative to clarify the value that you can deliver.

Lou shares the intangible results and tangible results. The intangible results are:

The tangible results are:

Key lesson: Experience is not the best teacher. There is a big difference between experience and evaluated experience. Having the opportunity to evaluate your experience is when you grow and get better.

If you take even one insight from this interview, you and your business will be better for it. Thanks for listening and be sure to check out what these guys are up to. They are both class acts!